A Ray of Hope
by katrina C
Summary: Uzumaki Naruto is slowly falling into a depression, and only a certain Nara can help him clear out the shadows in his heart. Note- There is Sex in this chapter. Also, it has Sasuke bashing. Don't read if under age, or like Sasuke.


**Title** – A Ray of Hope

**Author** – Kat/Ryan

**Rating** – NC-17

**Pairing** – ShikaNaru, hints of NejiHinaChouji, and LeeSaku

**Warning** – Mentions of past abuse and violence, sex, mild Sasuke bashing,

**Word Count** – 3,165

**Beta** – Bloody Chaos

_**Disclaimer **__– I do not own Naruto, if I did, Naruto would be an uke and spoiled by his lazy seme, Shikamaru… drools at image _

**Summary** – Uzumaki Naruto is slowly falling into a depression, and only a certain Nara can help him clear out the shadows in his heart.

**AN:** I want to thank MyBloodyChaos for her help with the corrections; grins while I could go on and on about this story, I'll just say that I got most of my information about the characters from several official Naruto sites. Also note thoughts are in italics as are several inflictions to symbolize key words.

He was tired, so very tired of it all: the glares, the whispers, the sneers, and the silence. Hadn't he proved to the village that he wasn't the Kyuubi? Hadn't he bled enough for each child that had lost a loved one? Hadn't he shown that there was more to life than the hatred that was coiled in their bellies? Apparently, he hadn't.

The Rookie Twelve, except for Sasuke, were still friends with him, but Naruto knew that with the right words, they would scatter like the leaves in the wind.

He watched the village move about as he sat, perched up on the Hokage monument. The people looked content now that he wasn't in their faces, and Naruto could only sigh sadly at how he had survived.

Each year until he became a shinobi, the attacks had gotten worse; only after he was out cold did the ANBU do anything to help him. The third Hokage had done what he could to keep Naruto safe, but the hatred was still strong. It would have been safer for all if he had been taken out of the village, but Naruto had a feeling that the council had wanted him to remain in the village, no matter the dangers it posed to him.

The village was getting ready for another festival, and Naruto could only hope that Tsunade had a mission for him. He didn't want to have to hide again this year, as the villagers gained strength from the celebrations and attacked him even now.

The other shinobi had stopped attacking him after he had proven himself to the village; it was the civilians that kept that hate alive. Their inability to move past the pain kept the young blond man from feeling safe in his own home.

A few of his friends were staying in this year, and Naruto had been practically ordered to spend it with them. Nara Shikamaru, Hyuuga Hinata and Neji, and Akamichi Chouji were all injured from their last mission, and had invited him to the flat where they were staying for the duration of the festival. Naruto was surprised that Shikamaru had gotten him to agree, but he had a feeling that it was the shadow-nin's words that made Naruto agree.

-Flashback-

"Oi, Naruto."

The blond haired man looked back and waited for his lazy friend to catch up to him. "Yes Shikamaru-kun?" Naruto asked after waiting a few moments in silence with Shikamaru.

"There are a few of us not going to the festival and we want you to join us. You know where our flat is at." Naruto looked at the Nara heir with a scowl.

"I'd rather not go-" The snort from the lazy jounin made Naruto pause.

"Even if we are injured, I know that you won't get hurt by anyone this year if you come with us. We don't like troublesome people who hurt our friends." With that, Shikamaru took off in a flash of leaves.

-End Flashback-

Rolling his eyes, Naruto quickly made his way to Shikamaru's flat. He didn't want to be found by any of the villagers and cause any more stress to his four injured friends.

* * *

The apartment was one of the nicer ones in the village; thick wooden walls were engraved with beautiful artwork; the carpets were soft, plush. The windows were treated in a way that prevented others from seeing what was going on inside, yet a decent amount of light was still able to come through. Each room was massive, allowing whomever lived there to feel comfortable with guests. There were only three bedrooms in the apartment, instead Shikamaru preferred to have two guest rooms here also and he had the best place to relax after a stressful mission.

Naruto entered the spacious home and smiled upon seeing his friends, and hiding his surprise at the warm greeting. He never noticed Shikamaru watching him, seeing past the mask he wore.

Hinata was seated comfortably between Chouji and Neji. Out of all of them, she seemed to be in the worst shape. Her hands were wrapped in several bandages, and her skin seemed paler than normal. After losing the shyness that had surrounded her, Hinata had blossomed into an accomplished medic-nin, but her wounds were a bit too difficult for her to reach at the present time.

Neji was holding his cousin close petting her hair while Chouji made sure she was warm enough and eating properly. Neji had lost a lot of his anger over the years. To his superiors, he was an emotionless machine, but to the old Rookie Twelve, he was a kind and gentle soul. Chouji had bulked up over the years and had proven his worth time and time again. He was a major force to be reckoned on the battlefield, and yet was still very kind at home.

Shikamaru, now he was someone that Naruto always had problems understanding. The Nara was lazy, but that hid his mind and determination to keep his precious ones safe. He had been the first to learn of the Kyuubi out of all of the rookies, and had stood by him when he told the others. He was also one of the few that would tell Naruto _why_ he was upset with him. But, it was his silence that would make Naruto nervous. Even with his eyes closed, Naruto always felt that Shikamaru was watching him, if not watching out _for_ him.

The five of them talked about the mission – the few details that could be shared – and about how things were going in Konoha, about Sakura and Lee's upcoming wedding. While the five spoke, Shikamaru and Neji were playing a game of Go, while the others made small bets on who would win and who had the highest score.

When Naruto had gotten up to fetch everyone a refill, four secret smiles were exchanged. The sadness that had enveloped the blond was almost gone now, and now it was up to Shikamaru to finish cheering the blond up.

After wandering back out with the drinks and some more food for Chouji, Naruto curled up on the seat by Shikamaru.

"Naruto-kun, while we are very grateful that you came to keep us company during the festival, I wanted to wish you a happy birthday as well." Hinata's voice made Naruto pause as the others nodded at her words, and he gave a soft smile to the Hyuuga heir.

"Thanks Hinata, and you guys too." Naruto's eyes were bright with happiness from those simple words.

"Troublesome," Shikamaru rolled his eyes as he stood and brought out a few brightly wrapped gifts. "These are for you from us and the rest of 'Rookie 12.' Most of the others couldn't be here because of duties, or helping Sakura and Lee with their wedding preparations."

Naruto blinked at the pile and reached for the closest gift, his hand trembling minutely from the emotions flowing through him. He opened the bright blue paper to see a new set of weapons. Tenten had promised that she would call him once they had gotten the type he had wanted, but instead she had given them to him as a gift.

The green gift was a new pair of guards for his legs. His last pair had been damaged on the SS-Classed mission he had been sent on in Rain country, and Sakura and Lee had gotten him a pair as a gift as well.

The purple gift was a silk kimono that seemed in similar style to the robes that the Fourth Hokage had worn. Neji, Hinata and Chouji had made sure that the flames were a mix between blue and orange, and it was over a white background.

Spotting the pink wrapping, Naruto opened a gift of fingerless gloves, and a new weapon that he had been looking into. Several metal wires were coiled and attached to a pair of black gloves. These wires could cut through anything, and if Naruto had wanted to, he could coat them in poison. He would have to thank Ino for her gift.

A gift wrapped in black was next, and Naruto smiled at the scrolls. Shino knew that he was interested in Wind, Lightening and Fire Jutsus, and had found several that Naruto could use.

The brown gift was open next, and Naruto couldn't help but chuckle at Kiba's gift. The new outfit – a mesh top that went with black boy short-shorts and a blue and orange vest – was perfect for what Naruto had always wanted as shinobi wear, and he was glad that Kiba remembered it. The addition of a small stuffed dog was what made the gift humorous, and Naruto smiled as he thought of his friend.

He had opened his gifts from his senseis and the Sand siblings at home, and all that was left was the gift from Shikamaru. Naruto knew that Sasuke would never give him a gift, as the Uchiha was still smarting from the beating he got before he was dragged back to the village.

Opening the orange gift that had clouds on it, Naruto was surprised at the thoughtfulness of the gift. Naruto had always enjoyed drawing, and nestled in the box was a new sketch book and pencils. Thanking them all for the gifts, Naruto looked longingly at the sketch book, wanting to see if it was the good paper that he just knew the kage-nin(1) would have gotten him.

As the night slowly began to come to an end, Chouji and Neji helped Hinata to her room. Kissing both cheeks of her friend, Naruto was a bit puzzled at the wink that she gave him, as well as the smirks from Neji and Chouji. Shrugging it off, Naruto began to help Shikamaru with the clean up, and missed the smirk aimed at him from the elder man.

They cleaned up the apartment in silence, and Naruto was offered a bed to sleep in. Shikamaru knew that Naruto didn't want to go out into the night where the drunks were just waiting for an excuse to attack the shinobi.

"You know that one day you'll be able to go out there and enjoy the festival with others, don't you." Shikamaru's voice was soft, and Naruto smiled.

"I know, but the villagers aren't ready yet. Only when they are, will I go out and join them." Naruto smiled a sad smile, only to be startled when he was pulled into a warm embrace.

"We will do all we can to get them to see _who_ you are, Naruto. I promise you that you'll be able to join the festival before you take the title of Hokage." The kage-nin's voice was sincere, making Naruto's smile a bit less sad.

"You don't ha-"

"Of course we do, you're our friend and we want you to be _happy_. If we were able to, we'd go back in time and make things better for you!"

"But then I wouldn't be the ninja I am today." Naruto's quiet voice snapped something in Shikamaru's mind.

Pulling the blond closer, Shikamaru tilted the head in his grasp to the side and brought their lips together. Surprised at the action, Naruto gasped, letting the older man's tongue to slide its way into the moist cavern. Shikamaru moaned at the flavors in the blond's mouth, and slowly began to map the wet and silky haven.

Naruto was shocked into heaven at Shikamaru's actions. Whimpering at the sensations rolling throughout his body, the blond let the kage-nin do as he pleased. The fact that he was letting his best friend do this to him completely failed to emerge in his mind.

"S-Shika-k-kun… Please…." Naruto moaned as the dark haired man broke the kiss off and began to leave a trail down his neck.

Chuckling at Naruto's moans and pleas for more, Shikamaru stripped off his shirt and Naruto's. He was glad that they both had removed their socks earlier, as the static shocks from friend to friend got tiresome after the first five times.

With both their chests bare, Shikamaru leaned down and began to kiss and suck around the blonde's pert brown nipples. It seemed that Naruto was tanned _everywhere_ and Shikamaru wanted to see it all.

Naruto was quickly lost in the sensations caused by Shikamaru's fingers and mouth. He could only buck and mewl in desperation as pleasure scattered across his senses. Tugging the elastic holding the brunet's hair, nimble fingers began to dance in the loose, silky mass. As he arched up into each teasing tongue swipe, Naruto couldn't help but whine as the sensations stopped. Blinking glazed blue eyes, Naruto looked up at Shikamaru and silently begged for more.

"Don't worry your pretty blond head about it, Naru-chan; the pleasure will come back. But first, we have to lose the pants."

With a quick kiss, Shikamaru stood up and stripped off his pants and boxers, letting the hungry blue eyes drink in each and every bit of the older man's body. Winking at the blond, he also removed Naruto's pants and boxers as well, enjoying the sight of no tan lines.

"I knew that you were tanned all over." Shikamaru whispered to himself as he knelt on the bed by Naruto's hip.

Slowly gliding over the prone body, both hissed in pleasure at the sensations of skin on skin. While Naruto was slowly spiraling higher with pleasure, Shikamaru made sure that everything he'd need for his blond fox was close at hand.

Shikamaru might be considered lazy by all, but he knew when to put effort into something, and making Naruto fly, that was worth doing most of the work. He was glad that he had read the books that Asuma had laying around his home, they held many good ideas that he planned on using on the blond kitsune(2) on a later date.

Naruto was in heaven. The sensations of another naked body moving against him made the blond man mewl softly. When hands, lips, teeth and a tongue was added to the mix, Naruto could barely hold on while he was pushed higher and higher, coming closer to the edge.

Shikamaru mentally smirked at the wanton look on Naruto's face. The blond was so lost in the sensations that he never noticed that he had two fingers stretching him. Keeping Naruto's mind on pleasure was a bit difficult, but Shikamaru found several hotspots that left the blond melting like putty in his hands. Stilling his movements when Naruto was fully stretched, Shikamaru waited for Naruto to look at him.

"No… No stopping… Need more…." Naruto turned pleading eyes at the kage-nin.

"Do you want to go further Naruto?" He pressed his swollen cock at the stretched entrance and pressed a bit on the ring of muscle.

"Oh fuck… PLEASE!!" Naruto's need caused his voice to crack, and Shikamaru slowly pushed into the blond.

"Kami(3), you're tight Naru." Shikamaru panted as he forced himself to calm down.

Naruto didn't answer, as his head was thrown back and a soft wail of pleasure was coming from the swollen lips. Stilling once he was fully sheathed, Shikamaru began to pepper kisses over the blond's face. He needed to get his bearings, before he hurt Naruto or finished too soon.

Panting at the size of the girth inside of him, Naruto was glad that Shikamaru stilled. When his lover had stripped, Naruto was more amazed at the patterns of scars than the size that would slowly fill him. Once Naruto was positive that he was ready, he rolled his hips, moaning as his prostate was firmly pressed in response.

Pulling the younger man into a deep, probing kiss, Shikamaru slowly began to pull out before pushing back in at the same pace. The whimpers and mewls that were being swallowed only made Shikamaru more determined to draw it out as long as possible. Letting his lips leave the swollen lips of his lover, Shikamaru began a trail of kisses and nips to Naruto's sensitive neck.

Groaning at the sensations that Shikamaru was enticing with his lips and cock, Naruto tried to get him to move at a quicker pace. It didn't help that the Kyuubi was panting in the back on his mind.

"Please Shika… please... Faster… Harder…" Naruto's voice had dropped to a deep husky tone, as Shikamaru kept up the slow pace while teasing and tormenting the body below him.

Moaning at the sound of his lover's voice, Shikamaru finally began to move at a quicker pace. Sliding his hands down Naruto's body, he hooked his hands under his lover's thighs and pushed them open wider and further back. The scream of pleasure that came from Naruto's mouth, caused Shikamaru to move even faster and harder than before.

Naruto was getting closer to the edge and he opened his eyes to look up at his lover. Brown eyes met blue, causing a chain reaction. Naruto's eyes widened and a choked scream of Shikamaru's name came from his swollen lips as he came without his cock being touched. As Naruto's body clenched around Shikamaru's cock, the brunet slammed forth one last time before he came in his lover. Bracing himself, Shikamaru let Naruto's legs fall to the bed as he gasped for breath, and lazily kissed his lover once more.

"Tell me we'll be doing that again…" Naruto asked, exhausted.

"As often as you want." With that, Shikamaru reached over to clean them both up.

"What happens now?" Naruto's voice was quiet, and he blinked at the soft smile that Shikamaru gave him.

"Mendokuse(4)," Shikamaru sighed and pulled Naruto close. "I'd like for us to be together. I know that I love you and have-"

"You love me?" Naruto cut the brunet off and looked up startled.

"Of course I do. I don't say things I don't mean Naru-kun." He frowned at Naruto.

"It's just," Naruto blushed and gave Shikamaru a shy smile. "Not many people can say that about me."

The brunet blinked at that and kissed the blond lightly, trying to convey that he truly did love the blond kitsune. Breaking the kiss, he nuzzled his lover's cheek with his own.

"I love you, and have for a while. This was the best way for me to show you how much I do love you."

Naruto's eyes watered a bit, but he held back the tears and gave Shikamaru a blinding smile.

_I may not be in love with you Shika, but I know that it's only a matter of time._ Naruto thought to himself as he curled up in the warm embrace of Shikamaru's arms. With one last kiss, both fell asleep with small smiles on their faces and the joy that there would be more chances to be close like this in the future.

The End

1 – Shadow User

2 – Young Fox (or a fox's kit depending on your translators)

3 – Japanese Creator (Main God/Goddess)

4 – Troublesome, Bothersome


End file.
